Chapter 83

◈ Chapter 83: First Test (2)

Scribble, scribble.

In the quiet classroom, the sound of magic pens gliding across paper echoed softly.

It almost sounded like insects gnawing at something, which, in a way, wasn't a wrong description.

After all, the students' mental fortitude and morale were being gnawed away by the pressure of the exam.

“Ugh. This is hard. What is this?”

“I’ve seen this in the book, so why can’t I solve it? Is this, really a question?”

“I can’t believe I’m this stupid.”

Although no one voiced these thoughts, they were almost visible in the students' expressions.

‘This is going to be a real headache.’

Rudger stood straight at the lectern, observing the students.

As warned, the exam was open-book.

That meant it was fine to look up relevant content in the textbooks.

But if the answers could be found just by looking at the textbook, would they even be called questions?

‘These aren’t simple one-dimensional knowledge questions. They twist your thinking, and if you can’t spot the hidden traps, they’ll make you make minor mistakes.’

Indeed, this was a method used to increase the difficulty of the exam.

Planting a trap in the middle of a question.

Given that every question contained such traps, it was no wonder the students were struggling.

There were only 20 questions, but the exam time was set to 3 hours for this very reason.

‘Oh my. I studied so hard, and it’s still this difficult!’

Lina felt steam rising from her head.

Her eyes were spinning, and the words on the exam paper seemed to be dancing around.

It’s hard. Too hard.

She had never skipped her pre- and post-reading.

Even though it was just a test, and a preliminary one at that, she had been confident.

But the moment she saw the first question, her mind went blank.

[Question 1.

Malignant fluid plays a role in storing mana internally during the process of absorbing atmospheric mana. When malignant fluid is exposed to nature for 10 years, it can be transformed into a mana stone that can supply mana for mages to use. To purify the malignant fluid into its pure form and induce crystallization into a mana stone, …….]

The relationship between malignant fluid and mana stones is a basic concept taught in the Magic Power Emission class.

Malignant fluid that has matured for over 10 years is crystallized into a mana stone, which is then processed to create artifacts or magical tools used by mages.

Even the wands that mages commonly use are made by mixing such mana stones with special wood.

‘I expected this to be on the exam. The teacher mentioned it repeatedly.’

So, she had studied diligently, reviewing it several times to ensure she didn’t forget anything.

‘But it’s still so hard!’

Lina felt like vomiting but didn’t stop reading the question.

[…… After fusing the malignant fluid with Contrara solution to form A, and adding Calium heavy metal to form B, if we attempt to crystallize both A and B into mana stones under the same conditions in the same laboratory, which one can be crystallized into a mana stone first? Describe the solution.]

(Note: The laboratory temperature is maintained at 30 degrees, and the pressure is 0.982 atmospheres. The crystallization reaction of B follows the standard rate.)

‘This is just the first question?’

What was even more surprising was that this was the question with the lowest score!

Indeed, it wasn’t just her; other students around her were also groaning.

They had prepared, but the questions were far more difficult than they had anticipated, causing significant stress.

‘Pull yourself together!’

Lina thought she was still doing okay and quickly skimmed through the questions.

Yes, they were all difficult, but upon closer inspection, she realized that all the questions were based on what they had actually learned.

Rudger hadn’t lied.

All the questions were from the material he had taught, and there was nothing he hadn’t covered.

Lina, who had been the most enthusiastic about his classes, was confident in this.

‘Is it because the senior is in the second year that she can solve it so quickly?’

The princess Erendil, sitting next to her, had already started solving the questions.

Indeed, as a princess and a model student, she was impressive. Lina felt a competitive spirit rise within her.

‘I can do this!’

Her eyes sparkled.

* * *

‘Hmm. The equations are quite complex.’

Flora Lumos solved the exam questions with a nonchalant expression.

Though she seemed to be taking her time, her hand hadn’t stopped moving since she started.

In fact, she was solving them almost twice as fast as the other students, who were working with great effort and concentration.

She also realized that the 3-hour time limit wasn’t as generous as it seemed.

‘If I solve them steadily without taking breaks, it should take about 2 hours and 45 minutes.’

This was tailored to the level of the new students.

She could gauge the average ability of the students, which made this possible.

Moreover, the questions weren’t just difficult.

‘Hmm. This question follows the empire’s basic standards, but it’s actually a trap. The Ruplamosk formula comes from the Durmang Kingdom, not the Exilion Empire, so it should follow their standards. The options themselves are a kind of deception. I only briefly mentioned this in class. If you didn’t take good notes, you’d definitely get it wrong.’

Flora immediately grasped the examiner’s intent and wrote down the correct answer.

While outwardly she acted as if it was nothing, inwardly she was continuously exploring the questions and admiring the examiner’s methods.

‘To alter a magical formula in this way? Options 1 and 2 look similar on the surface, but fundamentally, the direction of the flow is different. Students who don’t know this would assume they are the same.’

The questions are good.

Flora thought she could solve all of them within an hour.

Suddenly, she paused.

‘Am I, actually enjoying this exam?’

It was unbelievable.

To her, the tests during the semester were merely boring events.

Writing down explanations for facts she already knew in a not particularly challenging way.

How could anything be more boring?

Even during classes where the teachers, lacking in ability, rambled on, she could at least daydream. But in this exam, she had to move her hands, which was just annoying.

Still, she hadn’t lost her top position.

Not only did she have a natural talent for sensing magic, but she also had an exceptional mind for understanding it.

As a result, her life in Seolren was, in fact, lacking in any significant stimulation.

Most of the time, she finished her exams within 30 minutes.

For the first time, she found the exam questions interesting and thought they were fun.

‘This can’t be happening.’

I’m enjoying an exam!

How could such a humiliating thing happen?

Flora clenched her fist with her free hand and trembled.

‘But I can’t just let my pride get in the way and not solve the problems.’

Flora imagined what would happen if she submitted a blank paper.

- Hmm. A blank paper, I see. I understand. So, this is your limit, then.

Yes, he would definitely say something like that.

He wouldn’t get angry or annoyed; he would just calmly point out her shortcomings.

He wouldn’t even ask why or what had happened.

Other teachers would make a fuss!

‘No! I can’t let that happen!’

What should she do then?

There was only one way. To surprise him, she needed to achieve the best possible result in this exam.

First place? That was a given.

The important thing was to aim for a perfect score.

Yes, this was a battle of pride.

A mental contest between a student and a teacher, a fierce (or so it seemed) ongoing rivalry between her and Rudger.

How could she forget those painful days of defeat?

Until now, she had a record of 2 wins and 2 losses.

‘Not this time! I’ll get a perfect score and prove that I’ve won!’

Rudger himself didn’t really care, but Flora had already decided on her own.

Flora began to focus on the questions with renewed determination.

While she claimed she was just trying to beat Rudger, she didn’t realize that she was becoming increasingly engrossed in solving the problems.

* * *

‘It’s gotten quiet.’

The groans that had been heard from various corners of the room had disappeared after about 30 minutes.

Rudger, who had been standing at the lectern to monitor for any potential cheating, decided it was time and signaled to Sedina.

‘Yes!’

She responded with a small but strong voice.

Even her quiet shout was a skill.

Rudger silently pointed to two chairs in the corner.

Sedina nodded, picked up the two chairs, and brought them to the lectern.

‘What are you going to do?’

‘Put them down.’

‘Yes! And then?’

‘Sit down.’

‘What? Okay.’

Sedina placed one chair and sat down without any suspicion.

Rudger also placed a chair nearby and sat down comfortably.

‘Take a break.’

‘What?’

‘There’s still 2 hours and 30 minutes left until the exam ends. Since this is the first exam, both the teacher and the teaching assistant can’t leave, but standing for the entire time would be tiring. So, sit down and take a break.’

‘S-Sir……!’

Sedina looked at Rudger with a touched expression.

Now familiar with her gaze, Rudger suddenly noticed another pair of eyes watching him and turned his head.

A girl with snow-white hair was staring at him and Sedina with intense eyes.

‘Julia Plumheart.’

The moment their eyes met, she immediately focused back on her exam, but Rudger couldn’t help but feel irritated by the disrespectful glance, especially since it was directed more at Sedina than at him.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter. There’s no need to point it out.’

Rudger sat in the chair, crossed his arms, and crossed his legs.

2 hours and 30 minutes left.

It was quite a long time for someone waiting, but for the students solving the problems, it would feel very tight.

He had designed it that way.

‘The questions only cover the basics, but they are intentionally twisted to make you think, so it will take quite some time.’

If they couldn’t solve all the questions, they needed to focus on the areas they were good at.

The students, who weren’t fools, were concentrating on the questions they could solve with confidence.

Even the weakest students had their specialties once they entered Seolren.

As a result, the students were now deeply engrossed in solving the problems.

It was a truly ideal scene for a teacher.

Even Flora Lumos, who usually complained, was now staring intently at the exam paper.

‘There are quite a few good students here.’

Lina was working hard, and the princess sitting next to her was also putting in a lot of effort.

The students sitting behind, like Eidan and his friends, seemed to be struggling, but they weren’t giving up.

‘That mermaid girl is also doing well.’

Iona Oveli, was it?

She had brown skin and hair darker than that.

She was sitting upright and working diligently on the problems.

He had thought she would struggle as a mermaid, but she adapted surprisingly quickly.

‘Is magic a part of mermaid culture?’

Mermaids have their own culture, history, and traditions.

Instead of using magic, they used ‘Spirits,’ a force of nature.

Spirits are similar to elemental spirits but are distinctly different.

While elemental spirits are a manifestation of nature’s abundant life force in some form, Spirits encompass not only nature but also ancestors and animals, a broader concept.

‘The specialized field of <Necromancy> in the summoning category belongs to this.’

Originally, there was no field of necromancy in the summoning category, but it was added when humans suppressed the mermaids and absorbed their culture.

Of course, the mermaids were furious that their ancient traditions were arbitrarily categorized as magic by humans.

‘That’s why mermaids still reject magic out of defiance.’

Yet, a mermaid girl had come to Seolren, the main headquarters for teaching magic, to learn magic.

‘And her last name is Oveli, right? I know that mermaid last names are influenced by their bloodline.’

Although her last name was Oveli, it was a simplified version for human society.

In reality, her last name should be pronounced as O-veli, with a slight elongation.

This last name itself indicated that she was from the Velis bloodline, which was equivalent to a noble family in human terms.

‘Velis. I’ve heard that name somewhere before.’

Since he didn’t know much about mermaids, it was a bit hazy.

He would have to look it up later.

As he was thinking this, the time had already passed two hours.

“The exam will end in 30 minutes. If you’re even a minute late, I won’t accept your submission, so keep that in mind.”

The speed at which the students’ pens moved became more urgent.

The sense of urgency was palpable.

‘The next exam should be more unique to be interesting.’

Rudger felt a strange pleasure watching the students struggle.